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Campaign for Justice

"We are not expendable. We are
not flowers offered at the altar of profit and power.
We are dancing flames committed to conquering darkness
and to challenging those who threaten the planet and
the magic and mystery of life."Rashida Bee, gas survivor,
receiving the prestigious 2004 Goldman Environmental
Prize

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* *

"Union Carbide lives on and waits
for us to die."Unnamed survivor of the gas
disaster

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"Many have been forced into destitution,
some of the world's poorest people beggared by one of
the world's richest corporations, from which came platitudes
and evasions but no help." Indra Sinha, Bhopal Medical
Appeal

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* *

“We are aware that the day we
succeed in holding Dow Chemical liable for the continuing
disaster in Bhopal it will be good news for ordinary
people all over the world. From that day chemical corporations
will think twice before producing and peddling poisons
and putting profits before the lives and health of people.”Gas survivor Rashida Bee,
who lost five gas-exposed family members to cancers

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* *

"One such 'expedient' was the MIC
unit; they built it in order to retain control, they
used untried technology to keep control, they under-funded
it to keep control. When it turned Bhopal into a gas
chamber, they said they'd had no control."Satinath Sarangi, a longtime
bhopal activist, on the discovery of Union Carbide documents
that ordered under-investment in the Sevin/MIC units
of the Bhopal plant. The under-investment helped Union
Carbide retain control of its Indian subsidiary, UCIL,
in the face of Indian regulations that required a dilution
of foreign equity

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* *

"Women are the worst affected from
any kind of violence - be it domestic, development-related
or that caused by corporate polluters like Union Carbide.
It is up to us, the women, to join hands across the
world and keep the fight for justice and against violence
alive and unwavering."Rashida Bee, Bhopal Gas Affected
Women's Stationery Union, and winner of the Goldman
Environment Prize 2004

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"We are not against business. We
are against business without morality."Champa Devi Shukla, Bhopal
Gas Affected Women's Stationery Union, and winner of
the Goldman Environment Prize 2004

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"In its timing and in the composition
of the principal actors, Bhopal is a curtain raiser
to the sordid drama of Globalisation. Bhopal is a window
to what lies at the end of Globalisation." Satinath Sarangi, Genoa,
July 2001

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* *

"I have gone to various places
and asked people to come and join me in the fight against
this company [and] I got great support from people.
Plenty of people from all over the world have joined
us. They told us they didn't realize what the situation
was in Bhopal. 'Only after listening to you do we realize
what a big problem Bhopal is in,' [our supporters said.]
'We are with you and the fact is that what's happening
in Bhopal can happen anywhere, because this company
is all over the place. We think your demand that this
company should be accountable to the law is justified.'"Bhopal survivor Rasheeda
Bi, speaking to the India-West
news network from Washington, D.C., a few
hours after ending her 12-day hunger strike.

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"Those who lived are the unlucky
ones - the lucky ones are those who died on that night."Gas survivor Rashida Bi,
who lost five gas-exposed family members to cancers.

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"If you define 'liability' simply
as the ability to lie, than Dow's in liability up to
its ears."Ryan Bodanyi, Campus Organizer,
Students for Bhopal

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"Since December 1984, I have personally
witnessed how broken widows with no future, or children
who were forced to become heads of their orphaned families
at the age of 9, and day-labourers who lost their ‘ability
to work’, all turned into strong human beings,
great activists, tireless campaigners and capable organisers.
This self-empowerment through collective struggle is
the single greatest achievement of the people of Bhopal
and their transformation from victims to victors."Praful Bidwai, July 2004

Other Quotes

“The disaster in Bhopal continues,
and is likely to worsen if Dow Chemical does not step
forward to fulfill its responsibilities. It is disheartening
to note that a company such as Dow, who professes to
lead the chemical industry towards 'responsible care'
shies away from its obligations when truly responsible
care can be demonstrated. More disturbing is the manner
in which Union Carbide and Dow Chemical have ignored
the summons of the Bhopal court. This exposes a blatant
disregard for the law. By refusing to address the liabilities
it inherited in Bhopal via its acquisition of Union
Carbide, Dow Chemical is party to the ongoing human
rights and environmental abuses in Bhopal.”A Congressional
letter to Dow, signed by 18 representatives,
sent in July, 2003

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"UCC abetted the crime. The sabotage
theory was a bloody lie - UCC listened too much to their
PR company."Kamal Pareek, Chief Safety
Officer at the Bhopal plant until Dec. 1983

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"Pursuant to the “polluter
pays” principle recognized by both the United
States and India, Union Carbide should bear all of the
financial burden and cost for the purpose of environmental
clean up and remediation."The Government of India,
in a June 28, 2004 letterto the US Southern District Court in New York

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"Massive suffering resulted from
the UCC leak, yet Dow-Carbide continues to evade its
responsibilities under the law. Dow must ensure that
Union Carbide appear before the Bhopal Court. Victims
have the right to be heard in court, and multinational
companies shouldn't be able to skip town or hide behind
subsidiaries or mergers. This case tragically demonstrates
that transnational companies need to be better regulated
to eliminate corporate complicity in human rights abuses."Amy O’Meara, Amnesty
International, May 9, 2005

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"Dow made the mistake in February
2001 of buying Union Carbide, the company that owned
51% of an operation in India that suffered a catastrophic
poison gas leak in 1984 in Bhopal." Forbes Magazine, "Dow's
Pocket Has A Hole," March 13, 2003

"Till the start up of the plant
there was an absolute understanding and a very high
level of communication between UCC and UCIL. Our people
going there and their people coming here. The designs,
the drawings. Any design change made in India had to
be approved because, you see, they had experience of
dealing with MIC - we didn't. We were dependent on them
for recommendations. So I feel that if at this point
in time they say that they really did not know what
was going on it means they are trying to hide something."Kamal Pareek, Chief Safety
Officer at the Bhopal plant until Dec. 1983

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"I have been deeply moved by the
suffering, by the stories and by the voices of the people
of Bhopal. I am extremely honored, therefore, to add
my voice to the growing chorus of voices from around
the world demanding justice for the victims of one of
the world's largest industrial disasters. I consider
it unconscionable and obscene that 18 years and some
20,000 deaths later we are still even having a discussion
about just compensation, particularly, for the thousands
of innocent men, women, and children who have been left
scarred, disfigured, and maimed by this example of corporate
negligence. However, this is not just about Bhopal,
this is about all of us since it could happen to any
of us. ...I also want to applaud the courage, the caring,
and the compassion of people around the world, like
Diane Wilson, who are currently engaged in prolonged
hunger strikes in order to focus world-wide attention
on the fact that--despite the boundaries and oceans
that divide us--we are still one people. Their courageous
actions are a reminder that we all inhabit one planet
and we all breathe the same air. As I join with them
in fasting for the next five days, I also join with
them in urging Dow Chemicals to justly compensate the
people of Bhopal."Danny Glover, US Actor

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“Thousands of people in Bhopal
were denied their right to life, and tens of thousands
of people have had their right to health undermined.
Those struggling for justice and the right to a remedy
in Bhopal have been frustrated in their efforts. Thousands
of poor families have suffered illness and bereavement,
further impairing their ability to realize their right
to a decent standard of living. These and other fundamental
human rights are explicitly guaranteed in international
treaties, which are legally binding on the Indian state.
The Indian Constitution guarantees the right to life,
and the Indian Supreme Court has held that this includes
the right to health and to protection from environmental
pollution. The Court has also determined that companies
are responsible for environmental damage and for compensating
anyone harmed by their activities.”Amnesty International, Clouds
of Injustice, Nov. 2004

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"I visited Bhopal soon after the
gas leak in 1989. The horror was hard to endure. On
my return to the UK I spoke out against those responsible.
It is unconscionable that after nearly 18 years, Union
Carbide and its CEO Warren Anderson have not had to
face charges. How has Union Carbide Corporation managed
to escape with total impunity? How has Mr. Anderson
managed to avoid extradition for the 11 years in which
he and his Corporation have been thumbing their noses
at the Bhopal Court, thus breaking the legally-binding
undertaking they gave to a US court? Why does the Indian
government now seek to reward him by diluting the charges
against him?

"These are questions that will
be asked in Bhopal on Wednesday. People who lost loved
ones and have been living with terrible illnesses for
nearly 18 years will want to know, ‘how did the
Corporation get away with paying us such obscenely miniscule
compensation?’ ‘Would this have happened
if 8,000 people had been gassed to death in the US or
the UK on one single night?’ ‘Why is human
life in developing countries so devalued?’ What
answers shall we give them? Should we hold up our hands
and talk about the importance of multinational investment
in India? Or legal technicalities? Should we say that
when President Bush talks about corporate accountability,
he specifically excludes Union Carbide and its new owners
Dow Chemicals?

"What happened in 1984 was an unspeakable
tragedy, what has happened since is a travesty of justice,
an abuse of fundamental human rights on a contemptuous
scale. It cannot be allowed to continue. Whether or
not the Indian government has its way on Wednesday,
the fight for justice must go on. I call upon decent
people all round the world who believe in fairness and
justice to join us in supporting the poor, the helpless,
and the abused gas survivors of Bhopal."Bianca Jagger, speaking in
2002 as the Indian Government attempted
to reduce the criminal charges against Warren
Anderson.

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“We should never lose sight of
the fact that Bhopal can happen in the United States."Al Cholger, an international
representative for the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical
and Energy Workers Union (PACE), speaking in the July,
2003, edition of "Labor Notes"

“Clearly, we’re enormously
aware of Bhopal and the fact that particular incident
is associated with Union Carbide, [but Union Carbide
has] done what it needs to do to pursue the correct
environment, health, and safety programs.” Dow CEO Michael Parker, Nov.
2000, in his first media briefing

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"The only criminal charges that
we are aware of is the one against the former CEO of
Union Carbide, which has retired many many many years
ago. So we don't know of any other criminal charges."Dow CEO William Stavropoulos,
denying at the 2003 Dow Shareholder’s Meeting
that Union Carbide faces criminal charges. Dow Spokesperson
John Musser later
clarified: "Actually, our
chairman did misspeak. We are fully aware that Union
Carbide and Anderson were both named in the criminal
charges in India. It wasn't said with malice, it was
a mistake."

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“There are no…criminal…actions,
suits, claims, hearings, investigations or proceedings
pending…No investigation or review by any Government
Entity with respect to it or any of the subsidiaries
is pending.” Dow’s pre-merger filings
with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, in which
it claims that Union Carbide has no pending liabilities
in Bhopal or elsewhere. See Registration Statement by
The Dow Chemical Company and Union Carbide Corporation,
as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
on October 5, 1999, Article V: Representations and Warranties

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* *

"Dow was not named in the criminal
lawsuit. Union Carbide and Mr. (Warren) Anderson, the
former CEO, are named in it. They have not come forward.
Their position on the matter is that the Indian government
has no jurisdiction over Union Carbide or Mr. Anderson;
therefore, they are not appearing in court." Dow Spokesman John Musser,
quoted in the December 4, 2003 issue of the Michigan
Daily

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* *

''It never occurred to anyone that this
would happen…I didn't want to get in the Guinness
Book of World Records for the worst industrial accident
in history.”Union Carbide CEO Warren
Anderson, quoted in the January 21, 1985 issue of U.S.
News & World Report. No doubt the thousands of dead
and injured in Bhopal would agree

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* *

''The Indians are very technically capable,
but for safety procedures, U.S. multinationals should
insist on having American employees as well as local
nationals."Union Carbide CEO Warren
Anderson, delicately attempting to shift the blame for
the disaster without sounding too racist. Quoted in
the December 24, 1984, issue of Time Magazine

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"The comparative risk of poor performance
and of consequent need for further investment to correct
it, is considerably higher in the UCIL operation than
it would be had proven technology been followed throughout.
CO and I-Naphthol processes have not been tried commercially
and even the MIC-to-Sevin process, as developed by UCC,
has had only a limited trial run. Furthermore, while
similar waste streams have been handled elsewhere, this
particular combination of materials to be disposed off
is new and, accordingly, affords further chance for
difficulty. In short, it can be expected that there
will be interruptions in operations and delays in reaching
capacity or product quality that might have been avoided
by adoption of proven technology".UCC
04206 - third paragraph

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"Safety is the responsibility of
the people who operate our plants. You can't be there
day in and day out."Union Carbide CEO Warren
Anderson, quoted in the April 1, 1985 issue of Time
Magazine

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* *

"Well, that’s always a potential
and you have to worry about it. That’s why you
need the redundancy… Built into the safety system
are a whole series of capabilities that can take care
of whatever inadvertent action or co-mission has taken
place so you’re not all dependent on just one
item to either make it safe or make it unsafe."Union Carbide CEO Warren
Anderson, quoted at a March, 1985 press briefing, referring
to the possibility of industrial sabotage. Ironically,
this later became Carbide’s PR mantra

"Suppose we were a 40 percent owned
company or 35 percent owned company, raises some inquiries
on our part, do we want to participate around the world
where you have less than absolute control?" Union Carbide CEO Warren
Anderson, testifying before the Waxman Committee, 1985

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"Protecting the environment must
be part of everything we do and every business decision
we make. We have set aggressive [environmental] goals
that must be on equal standing with our economic profit
goals."Dow CEO Michael
Parker, 2002

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* *

"Environment, health and safety,
and economic performance are not mutually exclusive,
or even limiting. Being environmentally responsible
makes good business sense."Spoken like a man who knows.
William Stavropoulos, Dow's Chairman and CEO, in a July
1st, 2003 Dow press release

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* *

"Companies that don't meet their
responsibilities to all their constituencies will have
a difficult time. Responsible customers won't want to
buy their products. Talented people won't want to work
for them. Enlightened communities won't want them as
neighbors, and wise investors won't entrust them with
their economic futures."William Stavropoulos, Chairman
and CEO of Dow Chemical, quoted
in "The Business of Business Managing Corporate
Social Responsibility: What Business Leaders are Saying
and Doing 2002-2007"

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* *

"When all this is over, I don't
think anyone will accuse Union Carbide of stonewalling
or running away from the issue."Wishful thinking from Warren
Anderson, Union Carbide’s former CEO. Quoted in
The Washington Post, February 24, 1985

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"Union Carbide remains as a subsidiary
of Dow, with its own board of directors, and its own
assets and liabilities," he said. "Stock ownership
does not equal responsibility for those who acquired
the stock. ... For example, if you own stock in Ford,
and someone rolls over in a Ford and sues Ford, you
cannot be sued because you hold stock in Ford, regardless
of whether or not negligence occurred."Dow Spokesman John Musser,
quoted in the May 12, 2003 issue of the Michigan
Daily

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* *

"Union Carbide has a moral responsibility
in this matter, and we are not ducking it."Union Carbide CEO Warren
Anderson, quoted in Time Magazine, December 24, 1984

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When asked what the consequences to
Dow would be if it were to meet the demands of opposition
groups, Musser said "I wouldn't speculate on that
because it won't ever happen."Dow Spokesman John Musser,
quoted in the May 12, 2003 issue of the Michigan
Daily

''Those first two months were tough,
tough, tough. But my health is good. My blood pressure
improved. I used to spend 100 percent of my time on
Bhopal. Now it's maybe 10 percent.''Union Carbide CEO Warren
Anderson, sharing some wise words on the first anniversary
of the Bhopal disaster. Quoted December 3, 1985, The
New York Times

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* *

"This is most inconvenient. We've
got people coming to dinner." Pressed to ask her
husband to say what his current feelings were on the
continuing suffering of more than 130,000 people in
Bhopal, Mrs Anderson snapped, "I told you, we are
giving a dinner party, and it isn't even catered."Lillian Anderson, shortly
after her husband, the wanted fugitive Warren Anderson,
was found
living a life of luxury in the Hamptons
in 2002

The international student campaign to hold Dow
accountable for Bhopal, and its other toxic legacies around the world.
For more information about the campaign, or for problems regarding this
website, contact Shana Ortman, the US Coordinator for the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal.
Last updated:
November 12, 2008

WE
ALL LIVE IN
BHOPAL

"The year 2003 was a special
year in the history of the campaign for justice in Bhopal. It was the
year when student and youth supporters from at least 30 campuses in the
US and India took action against Dow Chemical or in support of the demands
of the Bhopal survivors. As we enter the 20th year of the unfolding Bhopal
disaster, we can, with your support, convey to Dow Chemical that the fight
for justice in Bhopal is getting stronger and will continue till justice
is done. We look forward to your continued support and good wishes, and
hope that our joint struggle will pave the way for a just world free of
the abuse of corporate power."